Charging system, vehicle, charge control device, and charging method

ABSTRACT

A charging system includes: a switch device and a control device. Each of charging ports is provided with a lid configured to open and close a corresponding one of the charging ports. The control device is configured to determine whether a predetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied before starting charging an electric energy storage device using any one of the charging ports, and when the predetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied, keep each of power paths from the charging ports to the electric energy storage device disconnected. The predetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied when the lid of at least one charging port that is included in the charging ports and that is other than the charging port to be used is open.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2020-144314 filed on Aug. 28, 2020, incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to charging systems, vehicles, chargecontrol devices, and charging methods.

2. Description of Related Art

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-129956 (JP2018-129956 A) discloses a charging system that charges a secondarybattery (electric energy storage device) with electric power supplied toeach of a first charging port and a second charging port.

SUMMARY

In the charging system described in JP 2018-129956 A, a first relay anda second relay are provided near the first charging port and the secondcharging port, respectively. When a charging connector is connected tothe first charging port, the first relay near the first charging port isturned on (connected), and the second relay near the second chargingport is turned off (disconnected). As the first relay is turned on,electric power supplied to the first charging port is allowed to beoutput from the first charging port to the secondary battery side.During this charging of the secondary battery, no voltage is applied tothe second charging port as the second relay is turned off. It istherefore considered safe (i.e., the risk of an electric shock is low)even if terminals of the second charging port are exposed while thesecondary battery is being charged using the first charging port.

In the charging system described in JP 2018-129956, safety is ensured byperforming the above control. In the above control, however, the firstrelay and the second relay are provided for the first charging port andthe second charging port, respectively, and the first relay and thesecond relay are individually controlled to different states accordingto which of the first charging port and the second charging port areused. Such complicated control is disadvantageous in terms of bothsafety and cost. The more complicated the control, the more likely amalfunction will occur.

The present disclosure was made to solve the above problems, and it isan object of the present disclosure to improve safety by simple controlin a charging system that charges an electric energy storage device withelectric power supplied to each of a plurality of charging ports.

A charging system according to a first aspect of the present disclosureis configured to charge an electric energy storage device with electricpower supplied to each of a plurality of charging ports. This chargingsystem includes: a switch device configured to switch between connectionand disconnection of each of power paths from the charging ports to theelectric energy storage device; and a control device configured tocontrol the switch device. Each of the charging ports is provided with alid configured to open and close a corresponding one of the chargingports. The control device is configured to determine whether apredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied before startingcharging the electric energy storage device using any one of thecharging ports, and when the predetermined charge prohibition conditionis satisfied, keep each of the power paths from the charging ports tothe electric energy storage device disconnected. The predeterminedcharge prohibition condition is satisfied when the lid of at least onecharging port that is included in the charging ports and that is otherthan the charging port to be used is open.

Hereinafter, the charging port to be used out of the charging ports isalso referred to as the “used port.” The charging port other than thecharging port to be used out of the charging ports is also referred toas the “unused port.”

In the above charging system, the charge prohibition condition issatisfied when the lid of the unused port is open. When the chargeprohibition condition is satisfied, each of the power paths from thecharging ports to the electric energy storage device is keptdisconnected. Charging will not be started unless the lid of everyunused port is closed. In this configuration, as the power paths of allthe charging ports are kept disconnected, control can be simplified.

Even if a voltage is applied to any unused port when charging isstarted, it is safe because the lid of the unused port is closed (i.e.,terminals of the unused port are not exposed). As the terminals of theunused port are covered by the lid, a user is physically prohibited fromtouching the terminals of the unused port.

As described above, according to the above configuration, safety in thecharging system can be improved by simple control.

The switch device may include a relay disposed in a common part of thepower paths from the charging ports to the electric energy storagedevice and configured to switch between connection and disconnection ofthe common part.

In the charging system including the switch device, the control devicecan switch between connection and disconnection of each of the powerpaths from the charging ports to the electric energy storage device byswitching the state (connected or disconnected state) of one relay.Accordingly, the control is simplified and cost is reduced.

The relay may be a normally-off switch. As the relay is turned off(disconnected) when not energized, safety is improved.

The charging ports may include a plurality of contact charging ports.The control device may be configured to determine whether thepredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied at a time when acharging connector is connected to any one of the contact charging portsbefore charging of the electric energy storage device is started usingany one of the contact charging ports.

When the charging connector is connected to the charging port, it ishighly likely that charging will be performed using the charging port towhich the charging connector is connected. As the charging connector isconnected to the terminals of the charging port, the terminals of thecharging port are not exposed. Accordingly, the user is less likely totouch the terminals of the used port.

Each of the contact charging ports may be a charging port that receivesdirect current power (hereinafter, also referred to as “DC port”).

When charging the electric energy storage device using an alternatingcurrent (AC) port that receives alternating current power (e.g., acharging port compatible with a standard charger), alternating currentpower supplied to the AC port is converted into direct current power,and the direct current power is supplied to the electric energy storagedevice. On the other hand, when charging the electric energy storagedevice using a DC port that receives direct current power (e.g., acharging port compatible with a quick charger), such power conversion(AC-to-DC conversion) is not necessary. Since there is no AC-to-DCconversion circuit between the DC port and the electric energy storagedevice, the voltage of the electric energy storage device tends to beapplied to the DC port when the DC port and the electric energy storagedevice are electrically connected. Therefore, a particularly high levelof safety is required in the configuration in which each of the contactcharging ports is a DC port.

The contact charging ports may include a manual charging port to whichthe charging connector is connected by a user and an automatic chargingport to which the charging connector is automatically connected.

In manual charging in which the user connects the charging connector tothe charging port to perform charging, the user needs to do a lot ofwork and therefore tends to forget to close the lid. On the other hand,in automatic charging in which the charging connector is automaticallyconnected to the charging port to perform charging, the user does nothave to do so much work and therefore tends to get distracted. In theconfiguration in which the contact charging ports include both a manualcharging port and an automatic charging port, a particularly high levelof safety is required.

Any of the above charging systems may further include a notificationdevice configured to be controlled by the control device. The controldevice may be configured to, when the control device determines that thepredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied before startingcharging the electric energy storage device, notify a user that thepredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied using thenotification device.

In the above configuration, when the charge prohibition condition issatisfied, the notification device notifies the user that the chargeprohibition condition is satisfied. The user can start charging theelectric energy storage device by causing the charging prohibitioncondition not to be satisfied.

The control device may be configured to, when the control devicedetermines that the predetermined charge prohibition condition issatisfied before starting charging the electric energy storage device,prompt the user to close the lid of the unused port by using thenotification device. The notification device may notify the user of thelocation of the unused port with an open lid.

The control device may be configured to, when the control devicedetermines that the predetermined charge prohibition condition is notsatisfied before starting charging the electric energy storage device,connect the power path from the charging port to be used to the electricenergy storage device to start charging the electric energy storagedevice. The predetermined charge prohibition condition may not besatisfied when the lid of each of all the charging ports excluding thecharging port to be used is closed.

In the above configuration, charging of the electric energy storagedevice is started when the lid of every unused port is closed. Accordingto the above configuration, the electric energy storage device can becharged safely.

The charge prohibition condition is not limited to the above chargeprohibition condition, and may be satisfied both in the case where thelid of any unused port is open and in the case where the lid of anyunused port is in an unlocked state. The charge prohibition conditionmay be set so as not to be satisfied when the lid of every unused portis closed and the lid of every unused port is in a locked state.

The control device may be configured to determine whether thepredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied during chargingof the electric energy storage device, and when the control devicedetermines that the predetermined charge prohibition condition issatisfied, disconnect each of the power paths from the charging ports tothe electric energy storage device to stop charging the electric energystorage device.

In the above configuration, when the lid of the unused port is openedduring charging of the electric energy storage device, each of the powerpaths from the charging ports to the electric energy storage device isdisconnected and charging of the electric energy storage device isstopped. Safety during charging in the charging system is thus improved.

A charging system according to a second aspect of the present disclosureis configured to charge an electric energy storage device with electricpower supplied to each of a plurality of charging ports. This chargingsystem includes: a switch device configured to switch between connectionand disconnection of each of power paths from the charging ports to theelectric energy storage device; and a control device configured tocontrol the switch device. The charging ports include a first chargingport and a second charging port, an AC-to-DC converter circuit beingpresent in the power path from the first charging port to the electricenergy storage device, and no AC-to-DC converter circuit being presentin the power path from the second charging port to the electric energystorage device. The second charging port is provided with a lidconfigured to open and close the second charging port. The controldevice is configured to determine whether a predetermined chargeprohibition condition is satisfied before starting charging the electricenergy storage device using any one of the charging ports, and when thepredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied, keep each ofthe power paths from the charging ports to the electric energy storagedevice disconnected. The predetermined charge prohibition condition issatisfied when the lid of the second charging port that is not used isopen.

Since the AC-to-DC converter circuit is present in the power path(charging path) from the first charging port to the electric energystorage device, direct current power output from the electric energystorage device is cut off by the AC-to-DC converter circuit.Accordingly, even if the first charging port is electrically connectedto the electric energy storage device, the voltage of the electricenergy storage device is not applied to the first charging port. Withsuch a configuration, safety can be ensured even if the first chargingport and the electric energy storage device are electrically connectedwhen the first charging port is not used.

In the above charging system, in the case where the lid of the secondcharging port that is not used is open before charging of the electricenergy storage device is started, the control device keeps each of thepower paths from the charging ports to the electric energy storagedevice disconnected. Even with this configuration, safety in thecharging system can be improved by simple control.

In the charging system according to the second aspect, each of thenumber of first charging ports and the number of second charging portsmay be one or more. As the AC-to-DC converter circuit is present in thepower path from the first charging port to the electric energy storagedevice, the first charging port may not be provided with a lid. However,the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the first chargingport may be provided with a lid.

The first charging port may include a contactless charging port. Thecontrol device may be configured to determine whether the predeterminedcharge prohibition condition is satisfied at a time when alignment ofthe contactless charging port for contactless charging is started orcompleted before charging of the electric energy storage device isstarted using the contactless charging port.

Hereinafter, the alignment of the contactless charging port forcontactless charging is also referred to as “alignment before powertransmission.” When alignment before power transmission (e.g., alignmentbetween a power transmitting coil and a power receiving coil) isperformed, it is highly likely that charging will be performed using thecontactless charging port.

The control device may request power supply equipment to transmitelectric power in a contactless manner at a time when preparation forcontactless power transmission to the contactless charging port iscompleted. The control device may determine whether the predeterminedcharge prohibition condition is satisfied immediately before requestingthe power supply equipment to transmit electric power in a contactlessmanner.

The first charging port may include a charging port that receivesalternating current power (hereinafter, also referred to as “AC port”).The AC-to-DC converter circuit and an insulation circuit may be presentin the power path from the AC port to the electric energy storagedevice.

Since not only the AC-to-DC converter circuit but also the insulationcircuit are present in the power path from the AC port to the electricenergy storage device, a higher level of safety can be ensured for theAC port.

A vehicle according to a third aspect of the present disclosure includesany one of the charging systems described above. Since the vehicleincludes any one of the charging systems described above, safety in thecharging system can be improved by simple control.

The electric energy storage device in any one of the above chargingsystems may be configured to supply electric power for a vehicle totravel. The vehicle may be an electrically driven vehicle. Electricallydriven vehicles are vehicles configured to run on the electric powerstored in the electric energy storage device. Electrically drivenvehicles include fuel cell vehicles (FC vehicles) and range extenderelectric vehicles (REEVs) in addition to electric vehicles (EVs) andplug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs).

The vehicle may be a connected car. The amount of communication of theconnected car is large. Accordingly, a malfunction is likely to occur ifcontrol is complicated.

A charge control device according to a fourth aspect of the presentdisclosure is configured to control a switch device configured to switchbetween connection and disconnection of each of power paths from aplurality of charging ports to an electric energy storage device. Thecharge control device is configured to determine whether a predeterminedcharge prohibition condition is satisfied before starting charging theelectric energy storage device using any one of the charging ports, andwhen the predetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied, keepeach of the power paths from the charging ports to the electric energystorage device disconnected. The predetermined charge prohibitioncondition is satisfied when a lid of at least one charging port that isincluded in the charging ports and that is other than the charging portto be used is open.

Unless the lid of every unused port is closed, the charge control devicekeeps each of the power paths from the charging ports to the electricenergy storage device disconnected and will not start charging.According to the above charge control device, safety in the chargingsystem can be improved by simple control.

A charging method according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosureincludes the following steps A to C. In step A, whether a predeterminedcharge prohibition condition is satisfied is determined by a controldevice before starting charging an electric energy storage device usingany one of a plurality of charging ports. The predetermined chargeprohibition condition is satisfied when a lid of at least one chargingport that is included in the charging ports and that is other than thecharging port to be used is open.

In step B, when the predetermined charge prohibition condition issatisfied, each of power paths from the charging ports to the electricenergy storage device is disconnected by the control device so as not tostart charging the electric energy storage device.

In step C, when the predetermined charge prohibition condition is notsatisfied, the power path from the charging port to be used that isincluded in the charging ports to the electric energy storage device isconnected by the control device to start charging the electric energystorage device.

In the above charging method, unless the lid of every unused port isclosed, each of the power paths from the charging ports to the electricenergy storage device is kept disconnected and charging will not bestarted. According to the above charging method, safety in the chargingsystem can be improved by simple control.

According to the present disclosure, in a charging system that chargesan electric energy storage device by electric power supplied to each ofa plurality of charging ports, safety can be improved by simple control.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance ofexemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which like signs denote likeelements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a vehicle according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates the appearance of each of the vehicle and a chargingport according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a charging system mounted on the vehicle according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a timing chart illustrating a first example of the operationof the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a timing chart illustrating control according to a comparativeexample;

FIG. 6 is a timing chart illustrating a second example of the operationof the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating charge control according to theembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating in detail determination of whether apredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied in the processshown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a screen (notification screen)displayed by a notification device in the process of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a modification of the predeterminedcharge prohibition condition shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 illustrates a modification in which one of two charging portsshown in FIG. 1 is an automatic charging port;

FIG. 12 illustrates a modification of the charging system shown in FIG.3;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of the configuration of a chargingcircuit shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of the configuration of a contactlesscharging system;

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of the configuration of a powertransmitting unit, a power receiving unit, and a charging circuit thatare shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a modification of the process shownin FIG. 7;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a modification of the process shownin FIG. 8; and

FIG. 18 illustrates a modification of a switch device shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail withreference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in thedrawings are denoted by the same signs and the description thereof willnot be repeated. Hereinafter, an electronic control unit will bereferred to as “ECU.”

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a vehicle according to theembodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle 100 includes charging ports10 a, 10 b, a charging relay 40, a battery 50, a system main relay (SMR)60, a travel drive device 70, a start switch 80, a vehicle state sensor81, a driving device 82, an input device 83, a notification device 84, acommunication device 85, and an ECU 300.

The vehicle 100 according to the embodiment is an electric vehicle (EV).The battery 50 is configured to supply electric power for the vehicle100 to travel to the travel drive device 70. The travel drive device 70is configured to generate a traction force for the vehicle 100 using theelectric power supplied from the battery 50. The configuration of thetravel drive device 70 will be described in detail later. The SMR 60 isconfigured to connect and disconnect a power path from the battery 50 tothe travel drive device 70. The battery 50, the charging relay 40, andthe ECU 300 according to the embodiment are an example of the “electricenergy storage device,” the “switch device,” and the “charge controldevice (control device)” according to the present disclosure,respectively.

A vehicle body of the vehicle 100 has the charging ports 10 a, 10 b. Inthe embodiment, the charging ports 10 a, 10 b are DC ports (i.e.,charging ports that receive DC power). In the embodiment, the chargingports 10 a, 10 b are manual charging ports to which a connector of acharging cable is connected by a user. The battery 50 is configured sothat the battery 50 can be charged with electric power supplied from theoutside of the vehicle 100 to the charging ports 10 a, 10 b. Thecharging ports 10 a, 10 b include inlets 11 a, 11 b, lids 12 a, 12 b,open and close mechanisms 13 a, 13 b, open and close sensors 14 a, 14 b,and connection sensors 15 a, 15 b, respectively. Hereinafter, each ofthe charging ports 10 a, 10 b is referred to as the “charging port 10,”each of the inlets 11 a, 11 b is referred to as the “inlet 11,” each ofthe lids 12 a, 12 b is referred to as the “lid 12,” each of the open andclose mechanisms 13 a, 13 b is referred to as the “open and closemechanism 13,” each of the open and close sensors 14 a, 14 b is referredto as the “open and close sensor 14,” and each of the connection sensors15 a, 15 b is referred to as the “connection sensor 15” unlessindividually identified.

The inlet 11 is configured so that a connector (not shown) of a chargingcable connected to power supply equipment (not shown) installed outsidethe vehicle 100 can be connected to the inlet 11. The connector isconnected to the inlet 11 by the user. The connection sensor 15 detectswhether the connector is connected to the inlet 11, and outputs thedetection result to the ECU 300. With the connector being connected tothe inlet 11, electric power can be supplied from the power supplyequipment to the inlet 11 through the charging cable.

The lid 12 is configured to open and close the charging port 10. The lid12 is configured so that the lid 12 can open and close the charging port10 as the lid 12 is connected to the vehicle body via the open and closemechanism 13 (e.g., a hinge). When the lid 12 is closed, the use of theinlet 11 is prohibited. When the lid 12 is open, the user is allowed touse the inlet 11 from the outside of the vehicle 100. The lid 12 isprovided with the open and close sensor 14. The open and close sensor 14is configured to detect whether the lid 12 is open or closed and outputthe detection result to the ECU 300. The open and close sensor 14 can bea courtesy switch. The charging port 10 may further include a lid lockdevice that locks and unlocks the lid 12 as instructed by the ECU 300.The charging port 10 may further include a connector lock device thatregulates removal of the connector connected to the inlet 11.

The charging relay 40 is configured to connect and disconnect each ofpower paths from the charging ports 10 a, 10 b to the battery 50. Whenthe charging relay 40 is open (disconnected state), each of power pathsfrom the inlets 11 a, 11 b to the battery 50 is disconnected. When thecharging relay 40 is closed (connected state), electric power can besupplied from each of the inlets 11 a, 11 b to the battery 50. The state(connected or disconnected state) of the charging relay 40 is controlledby the ECU 300.

As described above, in the vehicle 100 according to this embodiment, thebattery 50 is configured to be externally chargeable. External chargingin the vehicle 100 means charging the battery 50 with electric powersupplied from the outside of the vehicle 100 to the inlet 11.

FIG. 2 illustrates the appearance of each of the vehicle 100 and thecharging port 10 a. Referring to FIG. 2 together with FIG. 1, thevehicle 100 includes four doors 90. The doors 90 are doors for gettinginto and out of the vehicle 100. Although only two doors 90 on the rightside of the vehicle body are shown in FIG. 2, there are two more doors90 on the left side of the vehicle body. In the embodiment, an open andclose sensor that detects whether the door 90 is open or closed and adoor lock device that locks and unlocks the door 90 (both not shown) areprovided for each door 90.

In the embodiment, the vehicle 100 has the charging ports 10 a, 10 b onboth rear sides of the vehicle body. Although only the charging port 10a on the right side of the vehicle body is shown in FIG. 2, there is thecharging port 10 b on the left side of the vehicle body. However, thepresent disclosure is not limited to this, and the charging ports 10 a,10 b may be provided at any desired positions.

Referring back to FIG. 1, when the vehicle 100 travels, the SMR 60 isclosed and electric power is supplied from the battery 50 to the traveldrive device 70. The state of the SMR 60 is controlled by the ECU 300.For example, the SMR 60 can be an electromagnetic mechanical relay. Whenthe SMR 60 is closed, electric power can be transferred between thebattery 50 and the travel drive device 70. When the SMR60 is open, acurrent is cut off by the SMR 60.

The travel drive device 70 includes a power control unit (PCU) and amotor generator (MG), both not shown. For example, the MG is athree-phase AC motor generator. The PCU includes a converter and aninverter that are controlled by the ECU 300. During power running of theMG, the PCU converts electric power stored in the battery 50 into ACpower and supplies the AC power to the MG, and the MG rotates drivewheels of the vehicle 100 using the supplied AC power. During powergeneration by the MG (e.g., during regenerative braking), the PCUrectifies the generated power and supplies the rectified power to thebattery 50.

The battery 50 includes a secondary battery such as, e.g., a lithium-ionbattery or a nickel metal hydride battery and a monitoring unit thatmonitors the state of the battery 50 (both not shown). The secondarybattery may be an assembled battery. Other electric energy storagedevice such as an electric double-layer capacitor may be used instead ofthe secondary battery. The voltage of the battery 50 may be 100 V orhigher. In the embodiment, the voltage of the battery 50 is about 400 V.The monitoring unit includes various sensors that detect the state(e.g., temperature, current, and voltage) of the battery 50. Themonitoring unit outputs the detection results of the sensors to the ECU300. The monitoring unit may be a battery management system (BMS) thathas a state of charge (SOC) estimation function, a state of health (SOH)estimation function, a cell voltage equalization function in theassembled battery, a diagnostic function, and a communication functionin addition to the above sensor functions.

The ECU 300 includes a processor 310, a random access memory (RAM) 320,a storage device 330, and a timer 340. For example, the processor 310can be a central processing unit (CPU). The RAM 320 functions as aworking memory for temporarily storing data that is processed by theprocessor 310. The storage device 330 is configured to save storedinformation. The storage device 330 includes, e.g., a read-only memory(ROM) and a rewritable nonvolatile memory. The storage device 330stores, in addition to a program, information that is used in theprogram (e.g., maps, mathematical expressions, and various parameters).In the embodiment, various controls in the ECU 300 are performed by theprocessor 310 executing the program stored in the storage device 330.The various controls in the ECU 300 need not necessarily be performed bysoftware, and may be performed by dedicated hardware (electroniccircuit). The ECU 300 may include any number of processors, and may havea processor for each predetermined control.

The timer 340 is configured to notify the processor 310 when a set timeis reached. When the time set in the timer 340 is reached, the timer 340sends a notification signal to the processor 310. In the embodiment, thetimer 340 is a timer circuit. However, the timer 340 may be implementedby software instead of hardware (timer circuit).

The start switch 80 is a switch for starting a vehicle system. Thevehicle system (including the ECU 300) is started by turning on thestart switch 80. The start switch 80 is commonly referred to as the“power switch” or “ignition switch.” In the embodiment, the vehiclesystem is started when the vehicle 100 is switched to a Ready-ON state,and the vehicle system is stopped (including a sleep state) when thevehicle 100 is switched to a Ready-OFF state. The Ready-ON state and theReady-OFF state will be described below.

The vehicle 100 is switched to the Ready-ON state by the user pressingthe start switch 80. In the Ready-ON state, the SMR 60 is closed andelectric power is supplied from the battery 50 to the travel drivedevice 70. In the Ready-ON state, the ECU 300 can cause the vehicle 100to travel by controlling the travel drive device 70. The vehicle 100 isswitched to the Ready-OFF state by the user pressing the start switch 80while the vehicle 100 is in the Ready-ON state. In the Ready-OFF state,the SMR 60 is opened and electric power is no longer supplied from thebattery 50 to the travel drive device 70.

The vehicle state sensor 81 is a group of sensors that detects the stateof the vehicle 100. In the embodiment, the vehicle state sensor 81includes various sensors that monitor the environment of the vehicle 100(e.g., outside temperature sensor, outside pressure sensor, and obstacledetector) and various sensors that monitor traveling of the vehicle 100(e.g., vehicle speed sensor, position sensor, steering angle sensor, andodometer).

The driving device 82 is a device that accepts driving operations of thevehicle 100 performed by the user (e.g., operations related to changinggears, accelerator, brake, steering, and making the vehicle 100stationary). The driving device 82 outputs signals corresponding to thedriving operations by the user to the ECU 300. The ECU 300 controlstraveling of the vehicle 100 based on the signals received from thedriving device 82. In the embodiment, the driving device 82 includes ashift lever, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a steering wheel, anda parking brake.

The input device 83 is a device that accepts an input made by the userother than the driving operations. The input device 83 outputs a signalcorresponding to the user's input to the ECU 300. The user can gives apredetermined instruction, make a predetermined request, or set aparameter value through the input device 83. The communication methodmay be either wired or wireless. Examples of the input device 83 includevarious switches, various pointing devices, a keyboard, and a touchpanel. The input device 83 may include a smart speaker that acceptsvoice input. The input device 83 may be an operation unit of a carnavigation system.

The notification device 84 is configured to execute a predeterminednotification process when requested by the ECU 300. Examples of thenotification device 84 include a display device (e.g., meter panel orhead-up display), a speaker, and a lamp. The notification device 84 maybe a display unit of a car navigation system.

The communication device 85 includes various communication interfaces(I/Fs). The communication device 85 may include a Data CommunicationModule (DCM). The communication device 85 may include a communicationI/F compatible with a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G).The communication device 85 may include a communication I/F for wirelesscommunication with a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, wearabledevice, or electronic key. The ECU 300 is configured to wirelesslycommunicate with a communication device outside the vehicle 100 throughthe communication device 85. The vehicle 100 may be a connected car.

FIG. 3 illustrates a charging system mounted on the vehicle 100according to the embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3 together with FIG. 1,in this charging system, a wire connected to the inlet 11 a and a wireconnected to the inlet 11 b are connected to each other by a connectionportion E1. The connection portion E1 is electrically connected to thebattery 50 via the charging relay 40. A power path from the connectionportion E1 to the battery 50 is a common part of the power paths fromthe charging ports 10 a, 10 b to the battery 50. The charging relay 40is disposed between the connection portion E1 and the battery 50 and isconfigured to connect and disconnect the common part. For example, thecharging relay 40 can be an electromagnetic mechanical relay. In theembodiment, the charging relay 40 is a normally-off switch. The chargingrelay 40 is open (disconnected state) when not energized.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the lid 12 a of the charging port 10 ais open and a connector 210 of a charging cable 220 is connected to theinlet 11 a. The connector 210 according to the embodiment is an exampleof the “charging connector” according to the present disclosure. Thecharging cable 220 is connected to power supply equipment, not shown(more specifically, DC power supply equipment that supplies DC power).The lid 12 b of the charging port 10 b is closed. The ECU 300 detectsthe “lid open” and the “connector connected” regarding the charging port10 a based on signals output from the open and close sensor 14 a and theconnection sensor 15 a. The ECU 300 detects the “lid closed” and “noconnection” regarding the charging port 10 b based on signals outputfrom the open and close sensor 14 b and the connection sensor 15 b. Whenthe ECU 300 closes the charging relay 40 in the state shown in FIG. 3,the battery 50 is charged with DC power supplied from the DC powersupply equipment to the inlet 11 a.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the charging port 10 a is a used port(i.e., a used charging port), and the charging port 10 b is an unusedport (i.e., a charging port other than the used charging port).Hereinafter, the process of switching the charging relay 40 from theopen state to the closed state is also referred to as “charging relayON.” The process of switching the charging relay 40 from the closedstate to the open state is also referred to as “charging relay OFF.”

FIG. 4 is a timing chart illustrating a first example of the operationof the vehicle 100 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 4, lines L11,L12 show a change in traveling state (traveling or non-traveling) of thevehicle 100 and state (connected or disconnected) of the charging relay40, respectively. In FIG. 4, the first lid and the second lid mean thelids 12 a, 12 b, respectively, and lines L13, L15 show a change in state(open or closed) of the lids 12 a, 12 b, respectively. In FIG. 4, thefirst inlet and the second inlet mean the inlets 11 a, 11 b,respectively, and lines L14, L16 show a change in state (connectorconnected or no connection) of the inlets 11 a, 11 b, respectively.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, both lids 12 a, 12 b are closed whilethe vehicle 100 is traveling (see lines L13, L15). After the user parksthe vehicle 100 so that the charging port 10 a is located near the DCpower supply equipment, the user operates the start switch 80 to switchthe vehicle 100 to the Ready-OFF state. As a result, the vehicle 100 isswitched to the non-traveling state (i.e., the state in which thevehicle 100 cannot be electrically powered to travel). In the exampleshown in FIG. 4, the vehicle 100 is switched from the traveling state tothe non-traveling state at time t11 (see line L11).

The user then opens the lid 12 a at time t12 (line L13) and connects theconnector of the charging cable connected to the DC power supplyequipment to the inlet 11 a at time t13 (line L14). The ECU 300 executesthe charging relay ON when the connector of the charging cable isconnected to the inlet 11 a. As a result, the charging relay 40 isclosed (connected) (line L12), and charging of the battery 50 isstarted.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the lid of the unused port (i.e., thecharging port 10 b to which the charging connector is not connected) isclosed when the charging connector (i.e., the connector of the chargingcable) is connected to the inlet 11 a. In this case, the ECU 300executes the charging relay ON. However, in the case where the lid ofthe unused port is open, the ECU 300 does not execute the charging relayON. Hereinafter, effects produced by this control will be described incomparison with control according to a comparative example.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart illustrating the control according to thecomparative example. In the control according to the comparativeexample, the charging relay ON is executed even in the case where thelid of the unused port is open when the charging connector is connectedto the inlet 11 a or the inlet 11 b. Lines L21 to L26 in FIG. 5correspond to lines L11 to L16 in FIG. 4, respectively.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the user mistakenly opened the lid 12 bbetween time t11 and time t12 (i.e., after the vehicle was stopped andbefore the lid 12 a was opened) and forgot to close the lid 12 b (seeline L25). The lid 12 b of the charging port 10 b (unused port) istherefore open at time t13 when the charging connector is connected tothe inlet 11 a of the charging port 10 a (used port) (line L25). In thecontrol according to the comparative example, the charging relay 40 isclosed (connected) at time t13 (line L22). As a result, the voltage ofthe battery 50 is applied to the inlet 11 b of the charging port 10 b(unused port). The level of safety in the charging system is thereforelow.

Referring back to FIG. 3, in the embodiment, the ECU 300 determineswhether a predetermined charge prohibition condition (hereinafter, alsosimply referred to as the “prohibition condition”) is satisfied, beforecharging of the battery 50 is started using the charging port 10 a or 10b. The prohibition condition is satisfied when the lid of the unusedport is open. In the embodiment, the ECU 300 determines whether theprohibition condition is satisfied at the time when the chargingconnector is connected to the charging port 10 a or 10 b.

When the ECU 300 determines that the prohibition condition is satisfied,the ECU 300 opens (disconnects) the charging relay 40 so as not to startcharging the battery 50. When the charging relay 40 is open, the powerpaths from the charging ports 10 a, 10 b to the battery 50 aredisconnected. As a result, the voltage of the battery 50 is no longerapplied to the inlets 11 a, 11 b.

On the other hand, when the ECU 300 determines that the prohibitioncondition is not satisfied, the ECU 300 closes (connects) the chargingrelay 40 to start charging the battery 50. When the charging relay 40 isclosed, the power path from the used port (i.e., the charging port 10 towhich the charging connector is connected) to the battery 50 isconnected. As a result, electric power supplied from the DC power supplyequipment to the used port is input to the battery 50 via the chargingrelay 40.

Hereinafter, the control according to the embodiment will be describedwith reference to FIG. 6 together with FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a timing chartillustrating a second example of the operation of the vehicle 100according to the embodiment. Lines L1 to L6 in FIG. 6 correspond tolines L11 to L16 in FIG. 4, respectively.

In the example shown in FIG. 6 as well, the user mistakenly opened thelid 12 b of the charging port 10 b (unused port) between time t11 andtime t12 (i.e., after the vehicle 100 was stopped and before the lid 12a was opened) and forgot to close the lid 12 b (see line L5), as in theexample shown in FIG. 5. The user connects the charging connector to thecharging port 10 a (used port) at time t13 when the lid 12 b of thecharging port 10 b (unused port) is open. However, the ECU 300 does notexecute the charging relay ON at time t13. The ECU 300 executes thecharging relay ON (line L2) when the user subsequently closes the lid 12b at time t14 (line L5). As a result, the charging relay 40 is closed(connected), and charging of the battery 50 is started.

As described above, in the control according to the embodiment, theprohibition condition is satisfied when the lid of the unused port isopen. When the prohibition condition is satisfied, the power paths fromthe charging ports 10 a, 10 b to the battery 50 are kept disconnected.Charging of the battery 50 will not be started unless the lid of theunused port is closed. When the lid of the unused port is closed, theECU 300 starts charging the battery 50 by executing the charging relayON. As the charging relay 40 is closed, the voltage of the battery 50 isapplied to both the used port and the unused port. However, it is safeas the lid of the unused port is closed. As the inlet is covered by thelid of the unused port, the user is physically prohibited from touchingthe inlet of the unused port. In the above control, only one chargingrelay 40 is controlled to connect or disconnect the power paths. Thecontrol of the charging system according to the embodiment is simple. Asdescribed above, according to the above control, safety in the chargingsystem can be improved by simple control.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of charge control according to the embodiment. TheECU 300 executes the process shown in this flowchart when the chargingconnector is connected to either the charging port 10 a or the chargingport 10 b. The ECU 300 can detect the connector connected, based onsignals output from the connection sensors 15 a, 15 b.

Referring to FIG. 7 together with FIG. 1, in step (hereinafterabbreviated as “S”) 11, the ECU 300 determines whether the prohibitioncondition is satisfied. The ECU 300 determines whether the prohibitioncondition is satisfied by executing, e.g., a process shown in FIG. 8described below. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the details of S11of FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 8 together with FIG. 1, in S21, the ECU 300 determineswhether the lid of the unused port (i.e., the charging port 10 to whichthe charging connector is not connected) is closed. For example, in thecase where the used port is the charging port 10 a (i.e., in the casewhere the charging connector is connected to the inlet 11 a), the ECU300 determines whether the lid 12 b is closed. The ECU 300 can detectthe state (open or closed) of the lid based on signals output from theopen and close sensors 14 a, 14 b.

When the lid of the unused port is closed (YES in S21), the ECU 300determines in S22 that the prohibition condition is not satisfied (i.e.,NO in S11 of FIG. 7). The prohibition condition being not satisfiedmeans that charging is permitted.

When the lid of the unused port is open (NO in S21), the ECU 300determines in S23 that the prohibition condition is satisfied (i.e., YESin S11 of FIG. 7). The prohibition condition being satisfied means thatcharging is prohibited.

Referring to FIG. 7 together with FIG. 1, when YES (prohibitioncondition is satisfied) in S11, the routine proceeds to S12. In S12, theECU 300 controls the notification device 84 to notify the user that theprohibition condition is satisfied. For example, the notification device84 displays a screen that prompts the user to cause the prohibitioncondition not to be satisfied.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a screen (notification screen)displayed by the notification device 84 in S12 of FIG. 7. Referring toFIG. 9, this screen displays an image M1 of the entire vehicle 100, amark M2 indicating the position of the unused port with an open lid, anda message M3 prompting the user to close the lid of the unused port.

It is not essential to indicate the position of the unused port with anopen lid by the above notification, and only the message M3 may bedisplayed. It is not essential to prompt the user to close the lid ofthe unused port. The user may just be notified by a message such as“there is an open charging port” that there is an unused port with anopen lid. Any notification method may be used. The user may be notifiedby display (e.g., display of characters or an image) on a displaydevice, by sound (including voice) from a speaker, or by turning on(including flashing) a predetermined lamp.

Referring back to FIG. 7 together with FIG. 1, in S13, the ECU 300determines whether the prohibition condition is satisfied by executing,e.g., the process shown in FIGS. 8. S12 and S13 are repeated as long asthe determination result in S13 is YES (prohibition condition issatisfied). For example, the determination result in S13 becomes NO whenthe user closes the lid of the unused port.

When the prohibition condition is not satisfied (NO in S11 or S13), theroutine proceeds to S14. In S14, the ECU 300 closes (connects) thecharging relay 40. When starting charging, the ECU 300 requests thepower supply equipment to transmit electric power, and executes thecharging relay ON. As a result, charging of the battery 50 is started.For example, in the case where the charging connector is connected tothe inlet 11 a, electric power supplied from the DC power supplyequipment to the inlet 11 a through the charging cable is input to thebattery 50 via the charging relay 40.

After S14, the ECU 300 determines in S15 whether the prohibitioncondition is satisfied by executing, e.g., the process shown in FIG. 8.Since the prohibition condition is not satisfied at the start ofcharging, the determination result in S15 is NO (prohibition conditionis not satisfied), and the routine proceeds to S16. In S16, the ECU 300determines whether a predetermined charge end condition (hereinafter,also simply referred to as “end condition”) is satisfied. The endcondition may be satisfied when the SOC of the battery 50 becomes equalto or higher than a predetermined SOC value (e.g., an SOC valueindicating full charge). When the end condition is not satisfied (NO inS16), the routine returns to S14 and charging of the battery 50 iscontinued. The ECU 300 determines whether the prohibition condition issatisfied while charging the battery 50 (S15).

When YES (prohibition condition is satisfied) in S15, the routineproceeds to S17. In S17, the ECU 300 opens (disconnects) the chargingrelay 40. When stopping charging, the ECU 300 requests the power supplyequipment to stop transmitting electric power, and executes the chargingrelay OFF. As a result, charging of the battery 50 is stopped.Thereafter, in S18, the ECU 300 notifies the user that the prohibitioncondition is satisfied by executing, e.g., a process similar to that ofS12 described above. The routine then returns to S15. As long as thedetermination result in S15 is YES (prohibition condition is satisfied),S15, S17, and S18 are repeated and the charging relay 40 is kept open.For example, the determination result in S15 becomes NO (prohibitioncondition is not satisfied) when the user closes the lid of the unusedport. When NO in S15, the routine proceeds to S14 via S16. In S14, thecharging relay 40 is closed, and charging of the battery 50 is resumed.

As the charging of the battery 50 progresses and the end condition issatisfied (YES in S16), the routine proceeds to S19. In S19, the ECU 300requests the power supply equipment to stop transmitting electric power,and executes the charging relay OFF. As a result, the charging relay 40is opened, and the charging of the battery 50 is stopped. The series ofsteps shown in FIG. 7 is completed by performing S19.

As described above, in the charging system according to the embodiment,in the case where the lid of the unused port is open before charging ofthe battery 50 is started using the charging port 10 a or 10 b, the ECU300 opens (disconnects) the charging relay 40 so as not to startcharging the battery 50. As a result, when the lid of the unused port isopen, the voltage of the battery 50 is not applied to the inlets 11 a,11 b. When the lid of the unused port is closed, the ECU 300 startscharging the battery 50 by executing the charging relay ON. As the inletis covered by the lid of the unused port, the user is physicallyprohibited from touching the inlet of the unused port. With the ECU 300(charge control device) according to the embodiment, safety in thecharging system can be improved by simple control.

In the above embodiment, the ECU 300 determines whether the prohibitioncondition is satisfied while charging the battery 50. When the ECU 300determines that the prohibition condition is satisfied, the ECU 300opens the power paths from the inlets 11 a, 11 b to the battery 50 tostop charging the battery 50. However, it is not essential to determinewhether the prohibition condition is satisfied while charging thebattery 50. In the process shown in FIGS. 7, S15, S17, and S18 may beomitted.

The prohibition condition (predetermined charge prohibition condition)need only be satisfied when the lid of the unused port is open, and isnot limited to the condition that is determined to be satisfied or notsatisfied by the process shown in FIG. 8. For example, the ECU 300 mayexecute a process shown in FIG. 10 described below instead of theprocess shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a modification of the prohibitioncondition. Referring to FIG. 10 together with FIG. 1, in S211, the ECU300 determines whether the lid of the unused port (i.e., the chargingport 10 to which the charging connector is not connected) is closed.

When the lid of the unused port is closed (YES in S211), the ECU 300determines in S212 whether the lid of the unused port is locked.

When the lid of the unused port is closed and locked (YES in S211 andS212), the ECU 300 determines in S22 that the prohibition condition isnot satisfied. When NO in S211 or S212, the ECU 300 determines in S23that the prohibition condition is satisfied.

The prohibition condition (predetermined charge prohibition condition)that is determined to be satisfied or not satisfied in each of S11, S13,and S15 in FIG. 7 does not have to be the same. For example, the ECU 300may execute the process shown in FIG. 8 in each of S11 and S15 of FIG.7, and may execute the process shown in FIG. 10 in S13 of FIG. 7. In theprocess shown in FIG. 7, the notification step of S12 and thenotification step of S18 may be different from each other.

In the embodiment, the charging ports 10 a, 10 b are manual chargingports to which the charging connector is connected by the user. However,the present disclosure is not limited to this, and at least one of thecharging ports 10 a, 10 b may be an automatic charging port to which thecharging connector is automatically connected. FIG. 11 illustrates amodification in which, of the charging ports 10 a, 10 b in the vehicleshown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the charging port 10 b is an automatic chargingport.

Referring to FIG. 11, a vehicle 100A according to the modificationbasically has the same configuration as the vehicle 100 shown in FIGS. 1to 3. However, the charging port 10 a of the vehicle 100A is a manualcharging port, and the charging port 10 b of the vehicle 100A is anautomatic charging port. The charging port 10 b of the vehicle 100Afurther includes an actuator 16 b in addition to the inlet 11 b, the lid12 b, the open and close mechanism 13 b, the open and close sensor 14 b,and the connection sensor 15 b. The actuator 16 b is configured to drivethe open and close mechanism 13 b to open and close the lid 12 b. Theactuator 16 b is controlled by the ECU 300.

A robot 400 includes a charging connector 410, an arm 420, and a powersupply 430. The charging connector 410 is located at the tip of the arm420. The power supply 430 supplies electric power to the chargingconnector 410. When the ECU 300 controls the actuator 16 b to open thelid 12 b and then sends a power transmission request to the robot 400,the robot 400 moves the arm 420 to connect the charging connector 410 tothe inlet 11 b of the vehicle 100A. As the charging connector 410 isconnected to the inlet 11 b, electric power is supplied from the powersupply 430 to the inlet 11 b. The vehicle 100A can charge the battery 50with the electric power supplied to the inlet 11 b.

Since the vehicle 100A includes both a manual charging port and anautomatic charging port, the battery 50 can be charged by both manualcharging and automatic charging. In this vehicle 100A as well, thecharging system shown in FIG. 3 is used and the ECU 300 executes theprocesses shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Safety in the charging system can thusbe improved by simple control.

FIG. 12 illustrates a modification of the charging system shown in FIG.3. Referring to FIG. 12, a vehicle 100B is equipped with a chargingsystem that further includes a charging port 20 and a power receivingunit 30 in addition to the charging ports 10 a, 10 b. This chargingsystem includes an ECU 300B instead of the ECU 300. The ECU 300Bbasically has functions similar to those of the ECU 300 according to theabove embodiment. Hereinafter, functions of the ECU 300B that aredifferent from those of the ECU 300 will be described.

The charging port 20 includes an inlet 21, a lid 22, an open and closemechanism 23, and an open and close sensor 24. The charging port 20 isan AC port that receives AC power. A connector of a charging cableconnected to AC power supply equipment, not shown (i.e., equipment thatsupplies AC power) is connected to the inlet 21. The ECU 300B detectswhether the charging connector is connected to or disconnected from theinlet 21, based on a cable connection signal output from the AC powersupply equipment. Examples of the cable connection signal include acontrol pilot signal (CPLT signal) and a Proximity signal.

There is a charging circuit 25 in a power path from the charging port 20to the battery 50. The charging circuit 25 is configured to convertelectric power supplied from the AC power supply equipment to thecharging port 20 into electric power suitable for charging the battery50.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of the configuration of the chargingcircuit 25. Referring to FIG. 13, the charging circuit 25 includes apower factor correction (PFC) circuit 251, an isolation transformer 253,an AC-to-DC converter circuit 255, and a capacitor 256. The PFC circuit251 improves the power factor by bringing the AC power input from the ACpower supply equipment to the inlet 21 closer to a sine wave. Theisolation transformer 253 includes a primary coil 252 and a secondarycoil 254. The isolation transformer 253 transforms an AC voltage at aratio corresponding to the turns ratio between the primary coil 252 andthe secondary coil 254. The transformed AC voltage is applied to thesecondary coil 254. The AC-to-DC converter circuit 255 converts the ACvoltage applied to the secondary coil 254 into DC power and outputs theDC power to the capacitor 256. The isolation transformer 253 accordingto this modification is an example of the “insulation circuit” accordingto the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of the configuration of a contactlesscharging system. Referring to FIG. 14, the power receiving unit 30 ismounted under the floor of the vehicle 100B. The power receiving unit 30corresponds to the contactless charging port. Contactless power supplyequipment includes a power transmitting unit 500, a power supply 600,and a control device 700 that controls the power transmitting unit 500and the power supply 600. The power receiving unit 30 includes a powerreceiving coil 30 a, and the power transmitting unit 500 includes apower transmitting coil 500 a. The power supply 600 supplies AC power tothe power transmitting unit 500. The control device 700 is configured sothat the control device 700 can communicate wirelessly with the ECU 300Bof the vehicle 100B. The power transmitting unit 500 is configured totransmit the electric power supplied from the power supply 600 from thepower transmitting coil 500 a to the power receiving coil 30 a in acontactless manner with the power transmitting coil 500 a and the powerreceiving coil 30 a aligned to face each other. The alignment betweenthe power transmitting coil 500 a and the power receiving coil 30 a isan example of “alignment before power transmission.” There is a chargingcircuit 35 in a power path from the power receiving unit 30 to thebattery 50. The charging circuit 35 is configured to convert theelectric power supplied from the power transmitting unit 500 to thepower receiving unit 30 into electric power suitable for charging thebattery 50.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of the configuration of the powertransmitting unit 500, the power receiving unit 30, and the chargingcircuit 35. Referring to FIG. 15, the power transmitting unit 500includes a resonant circuit 510, a filter circuit 520, an inverter 530,and a PFC circuit 540. The resonant circuit 510 is an inductor-capacitor(LC) resonant circuit including the power transmitting coil 500 a. Thepower receiving unit 30 includes a resonant circuit 301 and a filtercircuit 302. The resonant circuit 301 is an LC resonant circuitincluding the power receiving coil 30 a. The charging circuit 35includes an AC-to-DC converter circuit 351 and a capacitor 352. TheAC-to-DC converter circuit 351 converts an AC voltage output from thepower receiving unit 30 into DC power and outputs the DC power to thecapacitor 352.

Referring back to FIG. 12, in this charging system, the wire connectedto the inlet 11 b and a wire connected to the charging circuit 25 areconnected to each other by a connection portion E2. The wire connectedto the inlet 11 a and a wire connected to the charging circuit 35 areconnected to each other by a connection portion E3. A wire connectingthe connection portion E2 and the connection portion E3 and a wireconnected to the charging relay 40 are connected to each other by theconnection portion E1. The connection portion E1 is electricallyconnected to the battery 50 via the charging relay 40.

A power path from the connection portion E1 to the battery 50 is acommon part of the power paths from the charging ports 10 a, 10 b, and20 and the power receiving unit 30 to the battery 50. The charging relay40 is disposed between the connection portion E1 and the battery 50 andis configured to connect and disconnect the common part. When thecharging relay 40 is disconnected, the power paths from the chargingports 10 a, 10 b, and 20 and the power receiving unit 30 to the battery50 are disconnected.

The ECU 300B executes a process shown in FIG. 16 described below insteadof the process shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating amodification of the process shown in FIG. 7. The ECU 300B executes theprocess shown in this flowchart when the charging connector is connectedto any of the charging ports 10 a, 10 b, and 20 and when alignmentbefore power transmission is completed.

The process shown in FIG. 16 is basically the same as the process shownin FIG. 7. The process shown in FIG. 16 includes S11A, S13A, and S15Ainstead of S11, S13, and S15 in FIG. 7. In each of S11A, S13A, and S15A,the ECU 300B determines whether the prohibition condition is satisfiedby executing, e.g., a process shown in FIG. 17 described below. FIG. 17is a flowchart illustrating a modification of the process shown in FIG.8.

Referring to FIG. 17 together with FIG. 12, in S21A, the ECU 300Bdetermines whether the lid of the unused DC port is closed. For example,in the case where the used port is the charging port 10 a (i.e., in thecase where the charging connector is connected to the inlet 11 a), theECU 300B determines whether the lid 12 b is closed. In the case wherethe used port is the charging port 20 (i.e., in the case where thecharging connector is connected to the inlet 21), the ECU 300Bdetermines whether both of the lids 12 a, 12 b are closed. In the casewhere the used port is the power receiving unit 30 (i.e., in the casewhere alignment before power transmission is completed), the ECU 300Bdetermines whether both of the lids 12 a, 12 b are closed. In the casewhere the used port is either the charging port 20 or the powerreceiving unit 30, the determination result in S21A is No when at leastone of the lids 12 a, 12 b is open.

In the case where the lid of the unused DC port is closed (YES in S21A),the ECU 300B determines in S22 that the prohibition condition is notsatisfied (i.e., NO in S11A, S13A, and S15A in FIG. 16). The prohibitioncondition being not satisfied means that charging is permitted.

In the case where the lid of the unused DC port is open (NO in S21A),the ECU 300B determines in S23 that the prohibition condition issatisfied (i.e., YES in S11A, S13A, and S15A in FIG. 16). Theprohibition condition being satisfied means that charging is prohibited.

In the charging system according to the modification, in the case wherethe lid of the unused port is open before charging of the battery 50 isstarted using the charging port 10 a, 10 b, or 20 or the power receivingunit 30, the ECU 300B opens (disconnects) the charging relay 40 so asnot to start charging the battery 50. The charging ports 10 a, 10 b areDC ports. There is no AC-to-DC converter circuit in the power paths fromthe charging ports 10 a, 10 b to the battery 50. There is an AC-to-DCconverter circuit (e.g., the AC-to-DC converter circuit 255 shown inFIG. 13) in the power path from the charging port 20 to the battery 50.There is an AC-to-DC converter circuit (e.g., the AC-to-DC convertercircuit 351 shown in FIG. 15) in the power path from the power receivingunit 30 to the battery 50. Each of the charging ports 10 a, 10 baccording to the modification is an example of the “second chargingport” according to the present disclosure. Each of the charging port 20and the power receiving unit 30 according to the modification is anexample of the “first charging port” according to the presentdisclosure.

Since there is an AC-to-DC converter circuit in each of the power pathsfrom the charging port 20 and the power receiving unit 30 to the battery50, DC power output from the battery 50 is cut off by the AC-to-DCconverter circuit. Therefore, even when either the charging port 20 orthe power receiving unit 30 is electrically connected to the battery 50,the voltage of the battery 50 is not applied to the charging port (thecharging port 20 or the power receiving unit 30). With thisconfiguration, safety is ensured even when each of the charging port 20and the power receiving unit 30 is electrically connected to the battery50.

In the charging system according to the above modification, in the casewhere the lid of the unused DC port (charging port 10 a or 10b) is openbefore charging of the battery 50 is started, the ECU 300B opens(disconnects) the charging relay 40. As the charging relay 40 is opened,the voltage of the battery 50 is not applied to the inlets 11 a, 11 b.When the lid of the unused DC port is closed, the ECU 300B startscharging the battery 50 by executing the charging relay ON. Even withthis configuration, safety in the charging system can be improved bysimple control.

In the above modification, whether the prohibition condition issatisfied is determined at the time when alignment before powertransmission is completed. However, the present disclosure is notlimited to this, and whether the prohibition condition is satisfied maybe determined at the time when alignment before power transmission isstarted.

In the above modification, an AC port and a contactless charging portare used as the first charging ports, and two DC ports are used as thesecond charging ports. However, the number of first charging ports andthe number of second charging ports can be changed as appropriate. Forexample, in the above modification, either the charging port 20 or thepower receiving unit 30 may be omitted, or either the charging port 10 aor the charging port 10 b may be omitted. In the above modification, thepower receiving unit 30 is not provided with a lid. However, acontactless charging port with a lid may be used as the first chargingport.

The position of each charging port is not limited to the position shownin the embodiment and modification described above, and can be changedas appropriate. For example, the DC port may be provided on the front orrear side of the vehicle, on the rooftop of the vehicle, or under thefloor of the vehicle.

Each charging port may be provided with an actuator that drives the openand close mechanism to open and close the lid. A mobile terminal capableof communicating with a communication device mounted on the vehicle mayhave a button for operating the lid of the charging port. In this case,when the button is operated by the user, the mobile terminal mayinstruct the vehicle to close the lid of a predetermined charging port.The button may be a button for specifying a used port. When the userspecifies a used port before starting charging, the mobile terminal mayinstruct the vehicle to open the lid of the specified used port and toclose the lid of the unused port. The button may be a button for closingthe lid of the unused port. The mobile terminal may instruct the vehicleto close the lid of every charging port not used for charging when theuser presses the button during charging. The control device mounted onthe vehicle can open and close the lid of the charging port bycontrolling the actuator.

In the embodiment and modification described above, the charging relay40 disposed in the common part of the power paths from the chargingports to the battery 50 is used as the switch device. However, theswitch device may be any device that connects and disconnects the powerpaths from the charging ports to the electric energy storage device, andmay use any opening and closing method. FIG. 18 illustrates amodification of the switch device.

Referring to FIG. 18, the switch device includes relays 41 a, 42 adisposed in the power path from the charging port 10 a to the battery 50and relays 41 b, 42 b disposed in the power path from the charging port10 b to the battery 50. An ECU 300C controls the relays 41 a, 42 a, 41b, and 42 b.

In the case where the lid of the charging port 10 b (unused port) isclosed when charging of the battery 50 is started using the chargingport 10 a, the ECU 300C closes (connects) the relays 41 a, 42 a andopens (disconnects) the relays 41 b, 42 b to connect the power path fromthe charging port 10 a to the battery 50. In the case where the lid ofthe charging port 10 a (unused port) is closed when charging of thebattery 50 is started using the charging port 10 b, the ECU 300C opens(disconnects) the relays 41 a, 42 a and closes (connects) the relays 41b, 42 b to connect the power path from the charging port 10 b to thebattery 50.

When the lid of the unused port is open when charging of the battery 50is started using the charging port 10 a or 10 b, the ECU 300C opens(disconnects) the relays 41 a, 42 a, 41 b, and 42 b to disconnect thepower paths from the charging ports 10 a, 10 b to the battery 50. Therelays 41 a, 42 a, 41 b, and 42 b may be normally-off switches. When therelays 41 a, 42 a, 41 b, and 42 b are normally-off switches, the relays41 a, 42 a, 41 b, and 42 b are open when not energized. A malfunction istherefore less likely to occur in the disconnected state.

According to the above control, it is safe as the lid of the unused portis closed even if the power path from the unused port to the battery 50is connected due to a malfunction at the time when the power path fromthe used port to the battery 50 is connected.

It is not essential that the switch device includes a normally-offswitch. A normally-on switch may be used instead of the normally-offswitch.

The vehicle is not limited to an electric vehicle (EV). The travel drivedevice 70 shown in FIG. 1 may further include an engine (internalcombustion engine), not shown. The vehicle may be a plug-in hybridvehicle (PHV) capable of running on both the electric power stored inthe battery 50 and the output of the engine. The configuration of thevehicle is not limited to the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thevehicle may be a passenger car, a bus, or a truck. The vehicle may beconfigured to travel unmanned by autonomous driving or remote driving.The vehicle may be an automated guided vehicle (AGV) or a Mobility as aService (MaaS) vehicle managed by a MaaS operator. The number of wheelsis not limited to four and can be changed as appropriate. The number ofwheels may be three or may be five or more.

The embodiment disclosed herein should be considered as illustrative andnot restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure isshown by the claims, rather than by the above embodiment, and isintended to include all modifications within the meaning and scopeequivalent to those of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A charging system configured to charge anelectric energy storage device with electric power supplied to each of aplurality of charging ports, the charging system comprising: a switchdevice configured to switch between connection and disconnection of eachof power paths from the charging ports to the electric energy storagedevice; and a control device configured to control the switch device,wherein: each of the charging ports is provided with a lid configured toopen and close a corresponding one of the charging ports; the controldevice is configured to determine whether a predetermined chargeprohibition condition is satisfied before starting charging the electricenergy storage device using any one of the charging ports, and when thepredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied, keep each ofthe power paths from the charging ports to the electric energy storagedevice disconnected; and the predetermined charge prohibition conditionis satisfied when the lid of at least one charging port that is includedin the charging ports and that is other than the charging port to beused is open.
 2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein theswitch device includes a relay disposed in a common part of the powerpaths from the charging ports to the electric energy storage device andconfigured to switch between connection and disconnection of the commonpart.
 3. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein: the chargingports include a plurality of contact charging ports; and the controldevice is configured to determine whether the predetermined chargeprohibition condition is satisfied at a time when a charging connectoris connected to any one of the contact charging ports before charging ofthe electric energy storage device is started using any one of thecontact charging ports.
 4. The charging system according to claim 3,wherein each of the contact charging ports is a DC port that receivesdirect current power.
 5. The charging system according to claim 3,wherein the contact charging ports include a manual charging port towhich the charging connector is connected by a user and an automaticcharging port to which the charging connector is automaticallyconnected.
 6. The charging system according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a notification device configured to be controlled by thecontrol device, wherein the control device is configured to, when thecontrol device determines that the predetermined charge prohibitioncondition is satisfied before starting charging the electric energystorage device, notify a user that the predetermined charge prohibitioncondition is satisfied using the notification device.
 7. The chargingsystem according to claim 1, wherein: the control device is configuredto, when the control device determines that the predetermined chargeprohibition condition is not satisfied before starting charging theelectric energy storage device, connect the power path from the chargingport to be used to the electric energy storage device to start chargingthe electric energy storage device; and the predetermined chargeprohibition condition is not satisfied when the lid of each of all thecharging ports excluding the charging port to be used is closed.
 8. Thecharging system according to claim 1, wherein the control device isconfigured to determine whether the predetermined charge prohibitioncondition is satisfied during charging of the electric energy storagedevice, and when the control device determines that the predeterminedcharge prohibition condition is satisfied, disconnect each of the powerpaths from the charging ports to the electric energy storage device tostop charging the electric energy storage device.
 9. A charging systemconfigured to charge an electric energy storage device with electricpower supplied to each of a plurality of charging ports, the chargingsystem comprising: a switch device configured to switch betweenconnection and disconnection of each of power paths from the chargingports to the electric energy storage device; and a control deviceconfigured to control the switch device, wherein: the charging portsinclude a first charging port and a second charging port, an AC-to-DCconverter circuit being present in the power path from the firstcharging port to the electric energy storage device, and no AC-to-DCconverter circuit being present in the power path from the secondcharging port to the electric energy storage device; the second chargingport is provided with a lid configured to open and close the secondcharging port; the control device is configured to determine whether apredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied before startingcharging the electric energy storage device using any one of thecharging ports, and when the predetermined charge prohibition conditionis satisfied, keep each of the power paths from the charging ports tothe electric energy storage device disconnected; and the predeterminedcharge prohibition condition is satisfied when the lid of the secondcharging port that is not used is open.
 10. The charging systemaccording to claim 9, wherein: the first charging port includes acontactless charging port; and the control device is configured todetermine whether the predetermined charge prohibition condition issatisfied at a time when alignment of the contactless charging port forcontactless charging is started or completed before charging of theelectric energy storage device is started using the contactless chargingport.
 11. The charging system according to claim 9, wherein: the firstcharging port includes an AC port that receives alternating currentpower; and the AC-to-DC converter circuit and an insulation circuit arepresent in the power path from the AC port to the electric energystorage device.
 12. A vehicle comprising the charging system accordingto claim
 1. 13. A charge control device configured to control a switchdevice configured to switch between connection and disconnection of eachof power paths from a plurality of charging ports to an electric energystorage device, wherein: the charge control device is configured todetermine whether a predetermined charge prohibition condition issatisfied before starting charging the electric energy storage deviceusing any one of the charging ports, and when the predetermined chargeprohibition condition is satisfied, keep each of the power paths fromthe charging ports to the electric energy storage device disconnected;and the predetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied when alid of at least one charging port that is included in the charging portsand that is other than the charging port to be used is open.
 14. Acharging method, comprising: determining by a control device whether apredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied before startingcharging an electric energy storage device using any one of a pluralityof charging ports; when the predetermined charge prohibition conditionis satisfied, disconnecting, by the control device, each of power pathsfrom the charging ports to the electric energy storage device so as notto start charging the electric energy storage device; and when thepredetermined charge prohibition condition is not satisfied, connecting,by the control device, the power path from the charging port to be usedthat is included in the charging ports to the electric energy storagedevice to start charging the electric energy storage device, wherein thepredetermined charge prohibition condition is satisfied when a lid of atleast one charging port that is included in the charging ports and thatis other than the charging port to be used is open.